AFL draft 2018: The WA talents still on the board after national draft

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Just seven West Aussies were picked up in the national draft, leaving plenty more with an anxious wait ahead of the rookie draft.

Here are the best of the WA talent still available for a rookie-list gig.

Sydney Stack

Position: Midfielder

Height: 176cm

Weight: 72kg

Club: Perth

On talent alone, Sydney Stack is nearly the pick of WA’s draft hopefuls. The speedy midfielder/half-forward was named in the AFL Under-18s Championship’s All Australian team, despite missing the first round for failing to meet training standards. Stack was rewarded for his form at colts level with a debut for the Demons in round 19 against Claremont and held his spot for the final three games of the season. State under-18s coach Peter Sumich urged AFL clubs to take a punt on Stack ahead of the draft.

Durak Tucker

Position: Defender

Height: 189cm

Weight: 73kg

Club: Peel Thunder/Bunbury FC

The Bunbury-bred defender’s 2018 season was cruelled by an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Regarded as a natural leader, WA under-18s coach Peter Sumich revealed Tucker would likely have been one of the state’s co-captains if he’d been fit. He was one of WA’s bottom-aged stars in the national carnival the previous year. Despite playing just one colts game this year, he has still attracted plenty of AFL interest as highlighted by a national combine invite.

Tyron Smallwood

Position: Midfielder/Small forward

Height: 179cm

Weight: 77kg

Club: Claremont/Royals (Albany)

The Albany product put together a terrific year, despite being sidelined with a broken jaw in May. He returned to have an impact at national under-18s level before making his WAFL league debut for Claremont against Swan Districts in round 21. He went on to play three league games for the Tigers, including two finals. Rated as an elite user of the football and can find plenty of it.

Camera IconTyron Smallwood in action for WA.Picture: AFL Media

Damon Greaves

Position: Half-back

Height: 186cm

Weight: 77kg

Club: East Perth/Busselton

An old-fashioned half-back flanker from Busselton, Greaves was somewhat surprisingly overlooked in the national draft. He can play on both medium and small forwards and found himself matched up on gun top-10 draft picks Izak Rankine and Connor Rozee during the under-18s championships. State under-18s coach Peter Sumich is a huge fan of Greaves, saying he “deserves a chance” at AFL level. “Terrific kid, he won’t say too much, just does his job, uses the ball well and he’s a bit tougher than what people originally think. He’s really hard at the footy and he deserves a chance,” Sumich said.

Camera IconDamon Greaves can play on both small and medium forwards.Picture: AFL Media

Luke Meadows

Position: Midfielder

Height: 185cm

Weight: 86kg

Club: West Perth/Kingsley

Mature-aged recruits are all the rage these days and Luke Meadows is one of the WAFL’s best. The big-bodied midfielder is coming off another dominant season at West Perth, where he averaged 25 disposals and five tackles in 22 matches and finished in the top-10 in the Sandover Medal. The 23-year-old has 90 league games under his belt, the cleanest set of hands in the WAFL and is a ready-made addition to most AFL midfields.

Camera IconWest Perth's Luke Meadows is one of the state’s best mature-age talents.Picture: The Sunday Times

Dillon O’Reilly

Position: Key forward

Height: 193cm

Weight: 79kg

Club: East Fremantle/East Fremantle JFC

If his dad Stephen O’Reilly played two more games for the Dockers, Dillon would have been a father-son prospect. Instead, the 193cm key position player is up for grabs. O’Reilly has shown he can play at both ends of the ground if needed, but his best performances at WAFL colts level have been up forward. He made his league debut for East Fremantle late in 2017, the same season as he won the colts goal-kicking award. He produced a six-goal second half against South Fremantle this year to lead his side to an elimination final win.

Camera IconDillon O'Reilly is the son of Fremantle champion Stephen.Picture: AFL Media

Marlion Pickett

Position: Half-back/midfielder

Height: 183cm

Weight: 85kg

Club: South Fremantle

Pickett filled the Bulldogs’ midfield void left by first-year Geelong star Tim Kelly, and he is a huge chance to follow in his footsteps into the AFL. After spending the majority of his WAFL career as a running defender, the speedster’s change of role helped take his game to another level in 2018. Gold Coast confirmed their interest in the 26-year-old, with several other clubs also in the mix to pick him up in the rookie draft.

Jye Bolton

Position: Midfielder

Height: 187cm

Weight: 84kg

Club: Claremont

A second Sandover Medal put Jye Bolton well in contention for a second chance in the AFL. The former Collingwood rookie has enjoyed a dominant few seasons in the WAFL since arriving from Victoria. As well as being named the WAFL’s best player twice, Bolton has won two Claremont best-and-fairest awards and two Simpson Medals as WA’s best player in the annual state game.

Camera IconDual Sandover medallist Jye Bolton.Picture: Daniel Wilkins

Oliver Eastland

Position: Ruckman

Height: 196cm

Weight: 86kg

Club: Claremont/Swanbourne

Eastland became a regular in Claremont’s league side in 2018 after missing out in last year’s draft, playing 15 games including both finals. The 20-year-old played predominantly as a ruckman, averaging 28 hit-outs to go with 15.5 disposals. He received a little bit of AFL interest this year to get a state combine invite.

Camera IconOliver Eastland became a regular in Claremont’s league side in 2018Picture: The Sunday Times